The work presented in this project shows the unification of citizens and residents of the polluted city of Mielec and it's surroundings in Poland. I am very emotionally connected with this place because it is my hometown where I lived and grow up and I was a witness of this issue for a very long time.
The photographs were taken during a stormy protest at 28.03.2018 which was organized against the corporate company Kronospan which has several branches throughout Poland. The protest was also attended by representatives of other cities who have been struggling with the same problem for many years and are trying to enforce the judicial improvement of air condition through frequent inspections of appointed services and forcing the company to comply with the law and reduce emissions to the air. The organizers of protest did not expect such a large number of people willing to express their dissatisfaction. These protests were held earlier however, in the past they were not so well organized and what is important, the number of protesters was much smaller. The organizers estimate that in protest against Kronospan up to 15,000 inhabitants may could participate. Kronospan has been detrimental to the environment for over 20 years and throughout its activity it was lying and still lies to the population and city authorities by promising the installation of modern filters. Doctors and veterinarians working in the city of Mielec confirms the growing number of people and animals dying and suffering from diseases of the upper respiratory tract. Smoke stretching for miles with the content of chemical pollution, for many years is a daily view of Mielec sky. The company is impudent enough that some time ago it issued an official position that the smoke emitted from its emitters is a water vapor.
The city Mielec recently is called “Kronobyl” which is a combination of words Kronospan and Czernobyl.(Chernobyl - city in Ukraine, in the Kiev region, in the area of Iankowskoye, at the mouth of the Usz River to Pripyat. Mainly known for the nuclear disaster that occurred at a nuclear plant located 18 kilometers away). Over the last few years, the problem has become even more important because mortality and the number of cases affects more and more children in Mielec. The degree of air pollution often reaches such a level that children are forced to stay indoors to avoid exposing themselves to inhaling pollutants released from the Kronospan emitters.
The protest began in the city center of Mielec and ended under the headquarters and the production zone of the company. A symbolic wreath with a black sash was placed in front of the company's fence. The protest took place in a peaceful atmosphere leaving people with hope that this matter will be publicized and the problem will be noticed by the Polish government.
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